A bunny or a dog?

Lately my dog has been behaving more like a rabbit, rather than a dog. She hops at the sight of food and she loves to chow down on carrots. Sometimes she even eats their poop in my backyard (gross). I wonder why they act so alike.

When my dog was a baby, we always fed her big carrots. The reason behind this, is that she would chew on everything because of her teething! Walls, base boards, shoes, slippers, etc. were all chewed up and she got yelled at all the time because of it. We started giving her big carrots to chew on, that way, she was eating the carrot and the coolness of that carrot felt good on her teeth and she no longer wanted to chew on all of our stuff. Sure enough, this became a habbit and four years later,  she is still eating carrots and considers them as healthy treats!

We have rabbits in the backyard that she loves to sniffout  and chase. One time, we let her outside and she went to lay down on her favorite bush ( the bottom of the bush is cool in the smmer and she lays on it to cool off) and out popped a bunny! She was so shocked that a bunny was in her bush! The expression on her face was priceless. If she could speak, I'm more then sure that the words she would have said wouldn't sound very pretty.

She might act like a rabbit more than she acts like a dog, but I'm certain that she's not the only one... I mean this quality that she has only makes her more adorable than she already is!

                                                       Kahlua's Thanksgiving dessert

The difficulties of grooming a Shetland sheepdog!

Shelties are well known for their beautiful fur coat, but that coat is extremely hard to keep well groomed because of the thickness and of the length of their fur. Shelties have a double coat. The under coat is very short and thick and is to help keep the dog warm. The top coat is long, straight hair that is water-resistant and protects them from the cold.

Shetland sheepdogs often get their fur tangle up and matted around their ears and by their butts because of the fact that they have so much hair and both of the coats get tangled up. To keep their fur from tangling you have to brush them regularly and, you also have to keep them clean. I would recommend giving your sheltie a bath every 6 weeks using a normal dog shampoo, mane and tail works also. DO NOT USE a shampoo that is for shed control, because it will stop the dog from shedding and they will either not grow in their winter coat, or they won't lose their winter coat for the summer, which makes them extremely hot! 

Shetland sheepdogs shed twice a year. They shed their heavy winter coat for the summer and then they shed their summer coat to grow in a winter coat for the cold outdoor temperatures. Shelties also need usual dog care like clipping their nails and brushing their teeth. Please keep in mind that if you cut a shelties hair, it will not grow back and full and nice as it was, and it is also very bad for their skin. This is a condition called alopecia. 

As long as you keep up with their brushing and their personal hygiene, this dog is pretty easy to care for and groom.

Here is a short clip that shows you how to groom a Shetland sheepdog.

What is the history behind the Shetland sheepdog?

I've always wondered where my dog originally came from and what she was used for way back when. Everybody always tells me that she's like a mini Lassie, but does anybody really know about it?

My dog is called a Shetland sheepdog; she is like a miniature collie which is the type of dog that Lassie is (collie). They are often referred to by their nickname "sheltie". She originated from Shetland, an island just north-east of mainland Britain and they were used as herding dogs. Herding dogs are used still today to help keep animals such as sheep, cattle, and poultry guarded from theft and their predators. The dogs are able to move the animals by nipping at their ankles gently and running around them. This explains why my dog sometimes bites my ankles and loves to go zooming around in circles in the backyard. She is a very intelligent dog, ranked the 6th smartest dog in the world out of 132 breeds. My dog is very energetic and loves to play and go for walks. She is a very friendly breed, she does not bite (other than the odd ankle) and is very good with children. Shelties can be used as watch dogs because they're very smart and they can distinguish right from wrong. This type of dog ranges from 11-24 lb, but of course can be slightly more or less. For example, my dog weighs around 28 lb, the result of giving her too many treats :). The Shetland sheepdog has three different coat colors: sable (tan), tricolor (white, black and tan) , and bi-black (black and white). With these coat colors, there are some modifications that can happen depending on certain genes that the dog's parents contain.

All I knew about my dog before I did this little bit of research was that she came from a breeder in Wallaceburg, Ontario and that she was sable. I had no idea that she came from Shetland and that the breed was named after the island. I guess you learn something new everyday!

The little bit of research I did came from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shetland_Sheepdog

                                           I would like to introduce you to my princess, Kahlua